Variable Device Graphical User Interface

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, devices, and apparatus, including computer program products, for adjusting a graphical user interface. A motion of a device is detected. A graphical user interface of the device is adjusted in response to the detected motion.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 to U.S. application Ser. No. 15/496,917, filed Apr. 25, 2017, whichis a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/153,899, titled“Variable Device Graphical User Interface,” filed Jan. 13, 2014, to beissued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,645,653 on May 9, 2017, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/937,463, titled “VariableDevice Graphical User Interface,” filed Nov. 8, 2007, issued as U.S.Pat. No. 8,631,358 on Jan. 14, 2014, which claims the benefit under 35U.S.C. § 119 of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/979,042, titled“Variable Device Graphical User Interface,” filed Oct. 10, 2007, whichare incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The subject matter of this specification relates generally to graphicaluser interfaces.

Some of today's portable devices include a touch-sensitive display. Agraphical user interface can be displayed on the touch-sensitivedisplay. A user of a device can interact with the graphical userinterface by making contact with the touch-sensitive display. Thedevice, being a portable device, can also be carried and used by a userwhile the user is in motion. While the user and the device is in motion,the user's dexterity with respect to the touch-sensitive display can bedisrupted by the motion, detracting form the user's experience with thegraphical user interface.

SUMMARY

In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in thisspecification can be embodied in methods that include the actions ofdetecting a pattern of motion of a device; and adjusting a graphicaluser interface of the device in response to the detected pattern ofmotion. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding systems,apparatus, devices, computer program products, and computer readablemedia.

In general, another aspect of the subject matter described in thisspecification can be embodied in methods that include the actions ofdetecting a motion of a device; comparing the detected motion to apredetermined signature of motion; and adjusting a graphical userinterface of the device based on the comparing. Other embodiments ofthis aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, devices, computerprogram products, and computer readable media.

Particular embodiments of the subject matter described in thisspecification can be implemented to realize one or more of the followingadvantages. Loss in accuracy of a user's interactions with atouch-sensitive display of a device or user mistakes with respect to theselection of user interface elements on a touch-sensitive display, dueto movement of the user and/or the device, is mitigated. A device userinterface can be adjusted to provide better visibility or usability.

The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter describedin this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and thedescription below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of thesubject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings,and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example mobile device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example implementation of the mobiledevice of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example process for modifying a graphical userinterface.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate an example contact list user interface on anexample mobile device.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate an example user interface of a device.

FIG. 6 illustrates another example user interface of a device.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example Mobile Device

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example mobile device 100. The mobiledevice 100 can be, for example, a handheld computer, a personal digitalassistant, a cellular telephone, a network appliance, a camera, a smartphone, an enhanced general packet radio service (EGPRS) mobile phone, anetwork base station, a media player, a navigation device, an emaildevice, a game console, or a combination of any two or more of thesedata processing devices or other data processing devices.

Mobile Device Overview

In some implementations, the mobile device 100 includes atouch-sensitive display 102. The touch-sensitive display 102 canimplement liquid crystal display (LCD) technology, light emittingpolymer display (LPD) technology, or some other display technology. Thetouch sensitive display 102 can be sensitive to haptic and/or tactilecontact with a user.

In some implementations, the touch-sensitive display 102 can comprise amulti-touch-sensitive display 102. A multi-touch-sensitive display 102can, for example, process multiple simultaneous touch points, includingprocessing data related to the pressure, degree, and/or position of eachtouch point. Such processing facilitates gestures and interactions withmultiple fingers, chording, and other interactions. Othertouch-sensitive display technologies can also be used, e.g., a displayin which contact is made using a stylus or other pointing device. Someexamples of multi-touch-sensitive display technology are described inU.S. Pat. Nos. 6,323,846, 6,570,557, 6,677,932, and 6,888,536, each ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

In some implementations, the mobile device 100 can display one or moregraphical user interfaces on the touch-sensitive display 102 forproviding the user access to various system objects and for conveyinginformation to the user. In some implementations, the graphical userinterface can include one or more display objects 104, 106. In theexample shown, the display objects 104, 106, are graphic representationsof system objects. Some examples of system objects include devicefunctions, applications, windows, files, alerts, events, or otheridentifiable system objects.

Example Mobile Device Functionality

In some implementations, the mobile device 100 can implement multipledevice functionalities, such as a telephony device, as indicated by aphone object 110; an e-mail device, as indicated by the e-mail object112; a network data communication device, as indicated by the Web object114; a Wi-Fi base station device (not shown); and a media processingdevice, as indicated by the media player object 116. In someimplementations, particular display objects 104, e.g., the phone object110, the e-mail object 112, the Web object 114, and the media playerobject 116, can be displayed in a menu bar 118. In some implementations,device functionalities can be accessed from a top-level graphical userinterface, such as the graphical user interface illustrated in FIG. 1.Touching one of the objects 110, 112, 114, or 116 can, for example,invoke corresponding functionality.

In some implementations, the mobile device 100 can implement networkdistribution functionality. For example, the functionality can enablethe user to take the mobile device 100 and provide access to itsassociated network while traveling. In particular, the mobile device 100can extend Internet access (e.g., Wi-Fi) to other wireless devices inthe vicinity. For example, mobile device 100 can be configured as a basestation for one or more devices. As such, mobile device 100 can grant ordeny network access to other wireless devices.

In some implementations, upon invocation of device functionality, thegraphical user interface of the mobile device 100 changes, or isaugmented or replaced with another user interface or user interfaceelements, to facilitate user access to particular functions associatedwith the corresponding device functionality. For example, in response toa user touching the phone object 110, the graphical user interface ofthe touch-sensitive display 102 may present display objects related tovarious phone functions; likewise, touching of the email object 112 maycause the graphical user interface to present display objects related tovarious e-mail functions; touching the Web object 114 may cause thegraphical user interface to present display objects related to variousWeb-surfing functions; and touching the media player object 116 maycause the graphical user interface to present display objects related tovarious media processing functions.

In some implementations, the top-level graphical user interfaceenvironment or state of FIG. 1 can be restored by pressing a button 120located near the bottom of the mobile device 100. In someimplementations, each corresponding device functionality may havecorresponding “home” display objects displayed on the touch-sensitivedisplay 102, and the graphical user interface environment of FIG. 1 canbe restored by pressing the “home” display object.

In some implementations, the top-level graphical user interface caninclude additional display objects 106, such as a short messagingservice (SMS) object 130, a calendar object 132, a photos object 134, acamera object 136, a calculator object 138, a stocks object 140, aweather object 142, a maps object 144, a notes object 146, a clockobject 148, an address book object 150, and a settings object 152.Touching the SMS display object 130 can, for example, invoke an SMSmessaging environment and supporting functionality; likewise, eachselection of a display object 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 144, 146,148, 150, and 152 can invoke a corresponding object environment andfunctionality.

Additional and/or different display objects can also be displayed in thegraphical user interface of FIG. 1. For example, if the device 100 isfunctioning as a base station for other devices, one or more“connection” objects may appear in the graphical user interface toindicate the connection. In some implementations, the display objects106 can be configured by a user, e.g., a user may specify which displayobjects 106 are displayed, and/or may download additional applicationsor other software that provides other functionalities and correspondingdisplay objects.

In some implementations, the mobile device 100 can include one or moreinput/output (I/O) devices and/or sensor devices. For example, a speaker160 and a microphone 162 can be included to facilitate voice-enabledfunctionalities, such as phone and voice mail functions. In someimplementations, an up/down button 184 for volume control of the speaker160 and the microphone 162 can be included. The mobile device 100 canalso include an on/off button 182 for a ring indicator of incoming phonecalls. In some implementations, a loud speaker 164 can be included tofacilitate hands-free voice functionalities, such as speaker phonefunctions. An audio jack 166 can also be included for use of headphonesand/or a microphone.

In some implementations, a proximity sensor 168 can be included tofacilitate the detection of the user positioning the mobile device 100proximate to the user's ear and, in response, to disengage thetouch-sensitive display 102 to prevent accidental function invocations.In some implementations, the touch-sensitive display 102 can be turnedoff to conserve additional power when the mobile device 100 is proximateto the user's ear.

Other sensors can also be used. For example, in some implementations, anambient light sensor 170 can be utilized to facilitate adjusting thebrightness of the touch-sensitive display 102. In some implementations,an accelerometer 172 can be utilized to detect movement of the mobiledevice 100, as indicated by the directional arrow 174. Accordingly,display objects and/or media can be presented according to a detectedorientation, e.g., portrait or landscape. In some implementations, themobile device 100 includes circuitry and sensors for supporting alocation determining capability, such as that provided by the globalpositioning system (GPS) or other positioning systems (e.g., systemsusing Wi-Fi access points, television signals, cellular grids, UniformResource Locators (URLs)). In some implementations, a positioning system(e.g., a GPS receiver) can be integrated into the mobile device 100 orprovided as a separate device that can be coupled to the mobile device100 through an interface (e.g., port device 190) to provide access tolocation-based services. In some implementations, the mobile device 100includes a gyroscopic sensor or other sensors that can be used to detectmotion of the device.

In some implementations, a port device 190, e.g., a Universal Serial Bus(USB) port, or a docking port, or some other wired port connection, canbe included. The port device 190 can, for example, be utilized toestablish a wired connection to other computing devices, such as othercommunication devices 100, network access devices, a personal computer,a printer, a display screen, or other processing devices capable ofreceiving and/or transmitting data. In some implementations, the portdevice 190 allows the mobile device 100 to synchronize with a hostdevice using one or more protocols, such as, for example, the TCP/IP,HTTP, UDP and any other known protocol. In some implementations, aTCP/IP over USB protocol can be used, as described in U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 60/945,904, filed Jun. 22, 2007, for “MultiplexedData Stream Protocol,” which provisional patent application isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

The mobile device 100 can also include a camera lens and sensor 180. Insome implementations, the camera lens and sensor 180 can be located onthe back surface of the mobile device 100. The camera can capture stillimages and/or video.

The mobile device 100 can also include one or more wirelesscommunication subsystems, such as an 802.11b/g communication device 186,and/or a Bluetooth™ communication device 188. Other communicationprotocols can also be supported, including other 802.x communicationprotocols (e.g., WiMax, Wi-Fi, 3G), code division multiple access(CDMA), global system for mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSMEnvironment (EDGE), etc.

Example Mobile Device Architecture

FIG. 2 is a block diagram 200 of an example implementation of the mobiledevice 100 of FIG. 1. The mobile device 100 can include a memoryinterface 202, one or more data processors, image processors and/orcentral processing units 204, and a peripherals interface 206. Thememory interface 202, the one or more processors 204 and/or theperipherals interface 206 can be separate components or can beintegrated in one or more integrated circuits. The various components inthe mobile device 100 can be coupled by one or more communication busesor signal lines.

Sensors, devices, and subsystems can be coupled to the peripheralsinterface 206 to facilitate multiple functionalities. For example, amotion sensor 210, a light sensor 212, and a proximity sensor 214 can becoupled to the peripherals interface 206 to facilitate the orientation,lighting, and proximity functions described with respect to FIG. 1.Other sensors 216 can also be connected to the peripherals interface206, such as a positioning system (e.g., GPS receiver), a temperaturesensor, a biometric sensor, a gyroscope, or other sensing device, tofacilitate related functionalities.

A camera subsystem 220 and an optical sensor 222, e.g., a chargedcoupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)optical sensor, can be utilized to facilitate camera functions, such asrecording photographs and video clips.

Communication functions can be facilitated through one or more wirelesscommunication subsystems 224, which can include radio frequencyreceivers and transmitters and/or optical (e.g., infrared) receivers andtransmitters. The specific design and implementation of thecommunication subsystem 224 can depend on the communication network(s)over which the mobile device 100 is intended to operate. For example, amobile device 100 may include communication subsystems 224 designed tooperate over a GSM network, a GPRS network, an EDGE network, a Wi-Fi orWiMax network, and a Bluetooth™ network. In particular, the wirelesscommunication subsystems 224 may include hosting protocols such that thedevice 100 may be configured as a base station for other wirelessdevices.

An audio subsystem 226 can be coupled to a speaker 228 and a microphone230 to facilitate voice-enabled functions, such as voice recognition,voice replication, digital recording, and telephony functions.

The I/O subsystem 240 can include a touch screen controller 242 and/orother input controller(s) 244. The touch-screen controller 242 can becoupled to a touch screen 246. The touch screen 246 and touch screencontroller 242 can, for example, detect contact and movement or breakthereof using any of a plurality of touch sensitivity technologies,including but not limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, andsurface acoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensorarrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contactwith the touch screen 246.

The other input controller(s) 244 can be coupled to other input/controldevices 248, such as one or more buttons, rocker switches, thumb-wheel,infrared port, USB port, and/or a pointer device such as a stylus. Theone or more buttons (not shown) can include an up/down button for volumecontrol of the speaker 228 and/or the microphone 230.

In one implementation, a pressing of the button for a first duration maydisengage a lock of the touch screen 246; and a pressing of the buttonfor a second duration that is longer than the first duration may turnpower to the mobile device 100 on or off. The user may be able tocustomize a functionality of one or more of the buttons. The touchscreen 246 can, for example, also be used to implement virtual or softbuttons and/or a keyboard.

In some implementations, the mobile device 100 can present recordedaudio and/or video files, such as MP3, AAC, and MPEG files. In someimplementations, the mobile device 100 can include the functionality ofan MP3 player, such as an iPod™. The mobile device 100 may, therefore,include a 36-pin connector that is compatible with the iPod. Otherinput/output and control devices can also be used.

The memory interface 202 can be coupled to memory 250. The memory 250can include high-speed random access memory and/or non-volatile memory,such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, one or more opticalstorage devices, and/or flash memory (e.g., NAND, NOR). The memory 250can store an operating system 252, such as Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OSX, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks. Theoperating system 252 may include instructions for handling basic systemservices and for performing hardware dependent tasks. In someimplementations, the operating system 252 can be a kernel (e.g., UNIXkernel).

The memory 250 may also store communication instructions 254 tofacilitate communicating with one or more additional devices, one ormore computers and/or one or more servers. The memory 250 may includegraphical user interface instructions 256 to facilitate graphic userinterface processing; sensor processing instructions 258 to facilitatesensor-related processing and functions; phone instructions 260 tofacilitate phone-related processes and functions; electronic messaginginstructions 262 to facilitate electronic-messaging related processesand functions; web browsing instructions 264 to facilitate webbrowsing-related processes and functions; media processing instructions266 to facilitate media processing-related processes and functions;GPS/navigation instructions 268 to facilitate GPS and navigation-relatedprocesses and instructions; camera instructions 270 to facilitatecamera-related processes and functions; GUI adjustment instructions 273to facilitate adjustment of graphical user interfaces and user interfaceelements in response to sensor data; and/or other software instructions272 to facilitate other processes and functions. The memory 250 may alsostore other software instructions (not shown), such as web videoinstructions to facilitate web video-related processes and functions;and/or web shopping instructions to facilitate web shopping-relatedprocesses and functions. In some implementations, the media processinginstructions 266 are divided into audio processing instructions andvideo processing instructions to facilitate audio processing-relatedprocesses and functions and video processing-related processes andfunctions, respectively. An activation record and International MobileEquipment Identity (IMEI) 274 or similar hardware identifier can also bestored in memory 250.

Each of the above identified instructions and applications cancorrespond to a set of instructions for performing one or more functionsdescribed above. These instructions need not be implemented as separatesoftware programs, procedures, or modules. The memory 250 can includeadditional instructions or fewer instructions. Furthermore, variousfunctions of the mobile device 100 may be implemented in hardware and/orin software, including in one or more signal processing and/orapplication specific integrated circuits.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example process 300 for modifying a graphical userinterface. For convenience, the process 300 is described below inreference to a device (e.g., device 100, 200) that performs the process.

One or more sensors of the device detect motion (e.g., a pattern ofmotion associated with pre-determined motion characteristics) of thedevice (302). One or more sensors on the device 100/200 (e.g.,accelerometer 172, motion sensor 210, proximity sensor 214, othersensors 216, a gyroscope) can detect changes in the orientation,acceleration, proximity, etc. of the device and the degrees of thechanges in orientation, acceleration, proximity, etc. caused by motionof the device and/or a user carrying the device. These changes inorientation, acceleration, proximity, etc. can be interpreted by thedevice as motion of the device. If the changes exhibit regularity orpredictability or match predetermined criteria, the changes can beinterpreted by the device as a pattern of motion. For example, a user ofthe device 100 can be walking and holding the device for use at the sametime. The device 100 can be oscillating (e.g., bouncing up and down) dueto the user walking or running. The oscillation can be detected by thesensors of the device. As another example, a user of the device 100 canbe a passenger in an automobile and holding the device for use while theautomobile is moving. The device 100 can be bouncing up and down as aresult, which can be detected by the sensors of the device.

The motion of the device and/or the user can affect the user's accuracywhen attempting to interact with a graphical user interface that isdisplayed on the touch-sensitive display of the device. For example,returning to the above example of the user carrying and using the devicewhile walking, the device can bounce up and down due to motion of thecarrying hand and arm while the user is walking. The bouncing can causethe user to touch the touch-sensitive display at an unintended locationand select a user interface element that the user did not intend toselect.

To address the problem described above, the detected pattern of devicemotion is mapped to one or more adjustments to the graphical userinterface (304), and the graphical user interface of the device isadjusted using the mapped adjustments (306). The pattern of motiondetected by the sensors is mapped to one or more adjustments of thegraphical user interface of the device, including user interfaceelements in the graphical user interface, based on one or more criteriarelated to the detected pattern of motion. The criteria can include thetype of the detected motion and the magnitude of the motion. The mappedadjustments are applied to the graphical user interface. The adjustmentscan mitigate the loss in accuracy in the user's attempts to select userinterface elements in the graphical user interface by touching thetouch-sensitive display. In some implementations, the mapping andadjustments can be made by the sensor processing instructions 258 andthe GUI adjustment instructions 273, respectively.

In some implementations, the device 100 can include a user-settableoption to toggle the feature of adjustments to the graphical userinterface based on detected device motion. That is, if the feature isdisabled, no adjustments are made to the graphical user interface basedon detected motion. If the feature is enabled, adjustments can be madeto the graphical user interface based on detected motion.

In some implementations, the adjustment includes resizing of userinterface elements and their corresponding touch areas (e.g., the areaon the touch-sensitive display where a touch on the display selects theuser interface element) in the graphical user interface. For example,rows corresponding to entries in a list interface (e.g., a list ofcontacts in a contact list where a row corresponds to a contact in thelist, a list of media items where a row corresponds to a media item inthe list, etc.) can be enlarged by increasing the height of each of theentry rows. The touch area corresponding to each one of the enlargedrows is also enlarged as a result. The enlarging gives the user a largertarget touch area for a row, lessening the likelihood of unintentionalselections. An example of the enlarging of rows corresponding to entriesin a list is described below in reference to FIGS. 4A-4B.

As another example, the display objects 104 or 106 can be resized. Oneor more of the display objects 104, 106 and their corresponding touchareas can be enlarged, increasing the target touch area for each of theresized display objects. An example of the enlarging of the displayobjects is described below in reference to FIGS. 5A-5B.

In some implementations, the adjustment includes a shift of thegraphical user interface or of user interface elements in the graphicaluser interface. The graphical user interface/user interface elements canbe shifted vertically and/or horizontally. In some implementations, theshift is in a direction opposite to the detected motion of the device;the shift attempts to relocate a user interface element to a position onthe touch-sensitive display that the user is likely to touch if the userintended to select the user interface element in view of the motion ofthe device. An example of the shifting of user interface elements isdescribed below in reference to FIG. 6.

In some implementations, the adjustment includes changing a sensitivitylevel of the touch-sensitive display. For example, the sensitivity levelof the touch-sensitive display can be decreased. Decreasing thesensitivity level of the touch-sensitive display increases the pressureneeded for a touch on the touch-sensitivity display to be recognized bythe device. The increase in required pressure to select a user interfaceelement can lead the user to be more deliberate in their attempts totouch the touch-sensitive display to select user interface elements.

In some implementations, the adjustment includes adjusting the targettouch area of a user interface element based on an angle at which thedevice is being held. For example, if the device is held at an angledeviating from a default angle and which is more parallel thanperpendicular with the ground, the target touch area of a user interfaceelement can be enlarged. Optionally, the target touch area can also beskewed to account for the angle.

In some implementations, the adjustment includes enlarging some targettouch areas and/or user interface elements relative to others. Forexample, a fisheye effect can be imposed on the target touch areas andthe user interface to enlarge the elements and target areas nearer tothe center of the “fisheye” relative to elements and target areas nearerto the periphery. The center of the “fisheye” need not be the center ofthe display; the center of the “fisheye” can be positioned over userinterface elements in the user interface that are selected more often orare considered more important.

While several types of adjustments are described above, it should beappreciated that the adjustment to the graphical user interface made bythe device can include any combination of the described types ofadjustments and other suitable types of adjustments.

In some implementations, the amount of an adjustment is a predefinedamount or percentage. For example, a user interface element can beresized by a predetermined amount of pixels or a predeterminedpercentage of the original size of the user interface element. In someother implementations, the amount of an adjustment is based on theamount of detected motion, amount of detected acceleration, amount ofchange in orientation from a starting position, or the like. Forexample, if the amount of acceleration from rest is small, the amount ofthe resizing or shifting of a user interface element is small as well.In some implementations, the amount of adjustment can be based on userpreferences. For example, the user can configure (in a device optionsand settings interface, for example) a maximum allowable amount (e.g., apercentage) for a type of adjustment.

In some implementations, the adjustment includes interrupting actionsinitiated by the user with additional confirmation steps. Rather thanshifting or resizing user interface elements by some amount, forexample, the device can add confirmation dialogs or question interfacesto the user interface flow for particular actions and optionally alsoshift or resize user interface elements by a smaller amount. As anexample, if a user attempts to make a call on device 100 while walkingand a bouncing motion of the device is detected, the device 100 candisplay a confirmation dialog box displaying the contact or phone numberto be dialed and asking the user to confirm that the contact or numberthat is displayed is the one to be called. The confirmation dialog boxcan have relatively large target touch areas for “Yes” and “No” buttonsfor the user to select to confirm or decline the call.

In some implementations, the device “learns” particular characteristicsof the motion of the device and the user's interactions with the devicein light of the motion of the device. For example, the device canmeasure magnitudes of the motion of the device due to the user'smotions. As another example, the device can detect the user's mistakesin the selection of user interface elements (e.g., the userunintentionally selects a display object 104 or 106 and then quicklyexits from the application corresponding to the selected displayobject). From the user mistakes, the device can look for patterns in theuser's mistakes (e.g., user is consistently touching one side of thedisplay but intended to touch the other side, the user is missing theirintended targets in a consistent manner, etc.). From this learnedinformation, the device can predict where the user will touch thetouch-sensitive display while the device in motion and make theadjustments to the graphical user interface based on the predictions.

In some implementations, the device detects a motion of the device andcompares the detected motion to one or more predetermined signatures ofmotion. The device can store multiple signatures of motion (e.g., asignature of a bouncing motion while the user is walking, a signature ofa change in orientation, etc.) and, for each signature, correspondingadjustments to the graphical user interface. If the detected motionmatches one of the predetermined signatures, the device adjusts thegraphical user interface using the adjustments corresponding to thematching signature. In some other implementations, the device comparesthe detected motion and compares the detected motion to the signatures.The device uses the comparison to determine which signature is closestto the detected motion and applies the graphical user interfaceadjustments corresponding to the signature determined to be closest tothe detected motion.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate an example contact list user interface on anexample mobile device. FIG. 4A illustrates device 100 with a contactlist 400 displayed on the display 102. The contact list application 400includes one or more contacts 402A, with a row in the contact list 400for each contact 402A. A row 402A can have a height H 406. A user cantouch the display 102 on the area of a contact 402A to display thecontact information for that contact. For example, if the user wishes toview the contact information for “John Adams,” the user touches thedisplay over the area of the row for the contact “John Adams.” A toolbar404 with buttons for various features related to phone functionality canalso be displayed. Example features related to phone functionality caninclude a list of favorite contacts, a contact list, a log of recentcalls, a keypad, and voicemail.

While the device is moving, the motion of the device can be detected.The device can change the size of the rows of the contacts in thecontact list application 400 to give the user a larger target area foreach contact. For example, the height of a row can be increased. Asshown in FIG. 4B, the contact list application 400 has contacts 402Bwhich are located in rows whose heights have been increased to 2×H 408.This gives the user a larger touch area with which to select a contact.In some implementations, the height of the toolbar 404 can be increasedas well.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate an example user interface of a device. InFIG. 5A, the device 101 is displaying display objects 104A (objects124A, 125A, 134A, 126A) and 106A (objects 114A, 123A, 132A, 150A, 148A,138A, 152A) at their original sizes on the touch-sensitive display 102.A display object 104A or 106A can have, for example, a width W 502. Theobjects 104A and 106A can be resized in response to motion of the devicethat is detected by one or more sensors on the device. FIG. 5B shows thedevice 101 with the resized objects 104B (objects 124B, 125B, 134B,126B) and 106B (objects 114B, 123B, 132B, 150B, 148B, 138B, 152B). Theresized objects 104B, 106B are larger (e.g., have a width of 1.25×W 504)than the original size objects 104A and 106A and has larger target touchareas than the original size objects 104A and 106A. This gives the usera larger touch area with which to select a display object 104B or 106B.

FIG. 6 illustrates device 101 with a graphical user interface thatincludes display objects 106. In FIG. 6, the display objects 106 areshifted, compared to the display objects 106 in FIG. 1B, verticallydownward by a distance D 602 toward the bottom of the graphical userinterface. The shift moves the target touch areas of the display objects106 to a different position. In some implementations, the new positionis a predetermined distance from the original position. In some otherimplementations, the new position is determined by the device based on aprediction of where the user will touch the touch-sensitive display ifthe user wanted to select the user interface element while the device isin motion.

The disclosed and other embodiments and the functional operationsdescribed in this specification can be implemented in digital electroniccircuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including thestructures disclosed in this specification and their structuralequivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. The disclosedand other embodiments can be implemented as one or more computer programproducts, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructionsencoded on a computer-readable medium for execution by, or to controlthe operation of, data processing apparatus. The computer-readablemedium can be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readablestorage substrate, a memory device, a composition of matter effecting amachine-readable propagated signal, or a combination of one or morethem. The term “data processing apparatus” encompasses all apparatus,devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example aprogrammable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers.The apparatus can include, in addition to hardware, code that creates anexecution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., codethat constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a databasemanagement system, an operating system, or a combination of one or moreof them. A propagated signal is an artificially generated signal, e.g.,a machine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal, thatis generated to encode information for transmission to suitable receiverapparatus.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) can be written in any form of programminglanguage, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can bedeployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module,component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computingenvironment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to afile in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a filethat holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in amarkup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program inquestion, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store oneor more modules, sub-programs, or portions of code). A computer programcan be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computersthat are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification can beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform functions by operating on input data andgenerating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performedby, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application-specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devicesfor storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will alsoinclude, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer datato, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g.,magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computerneed not have such devices. Computer-readable media suitable for storingcomputer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatilememory, media and memory devices, including by way of examplesemiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memorydevices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks;magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor andthe memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purposelogic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, the disclosed embodiments can beimplemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathoderay tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displayinginformation to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., amouse or a trackball, by which the user can provide input to thecomputer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interactionwith a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can beany form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback,or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in anyform, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

The disclosed embodiments can be implemented in a computing system thatincludes a back-end component, e.g., as a data server, or that includesa middleware component, e.g., an application server, or that includes afront-end component, e.g., a client computer having a graphical userinterface or a Web browser through which a user can interact with animplementation of what is disclosed here, or any combination of one ormore such back-end, middleware, or front-end components. The componentsof the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digitaldata communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples ofcommunication networks include a local area network (“LAN”) and a widearea network (“WAN”), e.g., the Internet.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

While this specification contains many specifics, these should not beconstrued as limitations on the scope of what being claims or of whatmay be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific toparticular embodiments. Certain features that are described in thisspecification in the context of separate embodiments can also beimplemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, variousfeatures that are described in the context of a single embodiment canalso be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in anysuitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be describedabove as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed assuch, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some casesbe excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may bedirected to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understand as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processingmay be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various systemcomponents in the embodiments described above should not be understoodas requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should beunderstood that the described program components and systems cangenerally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

Thus, particular embodiments have been described. Other embodiments arewithin the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: estimating an accuracy of auser's interactions with a user interface presented by a device, whereinestimating the accuracy of the user's interactions with the userinterface comprises: detecting a pattern of motion of the device,comparing the detected pattern of motion to a plurality of signatures ofmotion, and based on the comparison, determining that a first signatureof motion is closest among the plurality signatures of motion to thedetected pattern of motion; and responsive to estimating the accuracy ofthe user's interactions with the user interface, retrieving datarepresenting a set of adjustments to the user interface to adapt theuser interface to one or more patterns of motion corresponding to thefirst signature of motion, and applying the set of adjustments to theuser interface.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the patternof motion of the device comprises at least one of: detecting anacceleration of the device, or detecting an orientation of the device.3. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of adjustments comprises aresizing of one or more elements of the user interface.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the set of adjustments comprises a shifting of one ormore elements of the user interface.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe set of adjustments comprises an adjustment to a sensitivity of thedevice to the user's interactions.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein theset of adjustments comprises an adjusting to a size of one or moreelements of the user interface.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: detecting one or more mistakes by the user in interactingwith the user interface, wherein the set of adjustment is determinedbased on the one or more detected mistakes.
 8. A device comprising: oneor more processors; and one or more non-transitory computer readablemedia comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the one or more processors to perform operationscomprising: estimating an accuracy of a user's interactions with a userinterface presented by the device, wherein estimating the accuracy ofthe user's interactions with the user interface comprises: detecting apattern of motion of the device, comparing the detected pattern ofmotion to a plurality of signatures of motion, and based on thecomparison, determining that a first signature of motion is closestamong the plurality signatures of motion to the detected pattern ofmotion; and responsive to estimating the accuracy of the user'sinteractions with the user interface, retrieving data representing a setof adjustments to the user interface to adapt the user interface to oneor more patterns of motion corresponding to the first signature ofmotion, and applying the set of adjustments to the user interface. 9.The device of claim 8, wherein detecting the pattern of motion of thedevice comprises at least one of: detecting an acceleration of thedevice, or detecting an orientation of the device.
 10. The device ofclaim 8, wherein the set of adjustments comprises a resizing of one ormore elements of the user interface.
 11. The device of claim 8, whereinthe set of adjustments comprises a shifting of one or more elements ofthe user interface.
 12. The device of claim 8, wherein the set ofadjustments comprises an adjustment to a sensitivity of the device tothe user's interactions.
 13. The device of claim 8, wherein the set ofadjustments comprises an adjusting to a size of one or more elements ofthe user interface.
 14. The device of claim 8, the operations furthercomprising: detecting one or more mistakes by the user in interactingwith the user interface, wherein the set of adjustment is determinedbased on the one or more detected mistakes.
 15. One or morenon-transitory computer readable media comprising instructions that,when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or moreprocessors to perform operations comprising: estimating an accuracy of auser's interactions with a user interface presented by a device, whereinestimating the accuracy of the user's interactions with the userinterface comprises: detecting a pattern of motion of the device,comparing the detected pattern of motion to a plurality of signatures ofmotion, and based on the comparison, determining that a first signatureof motion is closest among the plurality signatures of motion to thedetected pattern of motion; and responsive to estimating the accuracy ofthe user's interactions with the user interface, retrieving datarepresenting a set of adjustments to the user interface to adapt theuser interface to one or more patterns of motion corresponding to thefirst signature of motion, and applying the set of adjustments to theuser interface.
 16. The one or more non-transitory computer readablemedia of claim 15, wherein detecting the pattern of motion of the devicecomprises at least one of: detecting an acceleration of the device, ordetecting an orientation of the device.
 17. The one or morenon-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the set ofadjustments comprises a resizing of one or more elements of the userinterface.
 18. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media ofclaim 15, wherein the set of adjustments comprises a shifting of one ormore elements of the user interface.
 19. The one or more non-transitorycomputer readable media of claim 15, wherein the set of adjustmentscomprises an adjustment to a sensitivity of the device to the user'sinteractions.
 20. The one or more non-transitory computer readable mediaof claim 15, wherein the set of adjustments comprises an adjusting to asize of one or more elements of the user interface.
 21. The one or morenon-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, the operationsfurther comprising: detecting one or more mistakes by the user ininteracting with the user interface, wherein the set of adjustment isdetermined based on the one or more detected mistakes.